Six Free Agents Still Available Who Could Start for Packers

The Green Bay Packers’ coaches will talk until they’re blue in the face about it’s a “competition” at “every position,” but the reality is the starting lineup is pretty well set in stone.

However, there are a few positions that could use reinforcements. Here are six veteran free agents at four positions who could find their way into the starting lineup for Week 1.

DE Joey Bosa, Bills

With Micah Parsons unlikely to be ready for Week 1, the projected starters for now are Lukas Van Ness and Barryn Sorrell. Even when Parsons is back on the field, the team will likely be judicious with his workload after he played more than 50 snaps in nine of his 14 games last season.

That makes defensive end a logical place for an addition, where the depth behind Van Ness and Sorrell is Collin Oliver and Brenton Cox, who played in a combined five games last season. There are some quality veterans available, including Buffalo’s Nick Bosa.

Bosa is a five-time Pro Bowler who will turn 31 before training camp. Injuries limited him to 28 games from 2022 through 2024, but he played in 15 games (all starts) in his lone season with the Bills. While he had only five sacks, he led the NFL with five forced fumbles, and his nine tackles for losses since 2020.

Of 87 edge defenders with at least 220 pass-rushing opportunities, Bosa finished 20th in pass-rush win rate, according to Pro Football Focus.

DE Jadeveon Clowney, Cowboys

The first pick of the 2014 draft, Clowney has become something of a mercenary as he’ll be playing for his fifth team in as many seasons. In 2025 with Dallas, he helped replace Micah Parsons with 8.5 sacks, 12 tackles for losses, one forced fumble and four pass deflections in 13 games (six starts).

Clowney, 33, was 13th in pass-rush win rate and remains a stout run defender.

DT Calais Campbell, Cardinals

At the end of last season, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst signed Jordon Riley, Quinton Bohanna and Jonathan Ford in hopes of finding a big guy to add some toughness to Green Bay’s defensive line.

Riley wound up tearing an Achilles, Bohanna didn’t pan out and Ford performed well enough in his two games to merit a one-year contract.

Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell is introduced before the game against the Los Angeles Rams. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The need remains, especially after the Packers traded their best run-stopping big guy, Colby Wooden, for linebacker Zaire Franklin. The follow-up transaction was signing Javon Hargrave, who will help the pass rush but perhaps not the run defense.

Campbell is one of the best free agents on the market, even though he will turn 40 on Sept. 1. The eight-time Pro Bowler had 6.5 sacks and nine tackles for losses in 2025, his one season in Arizona, which was coached by Jonathan Gannon. Can he stop the run? Always. Arizona’s run defense was 0.40 yards per snap better when he was on the field.

He’s started all 17 games each of the last four seasons. As is the case with Jadeveon Clowney, he will be playing for his fifth team in five seasons.

DT D.J. Reader, Lions

Reader started all 17 games in 2025 and 32 of a possible 34 games in his two seasons in Detroit. He had no sacks or tackles for losses last season, though the run defense was 0.13 yards per snap better when he was on the field.

The 330-pounder will turn 32 before training camp. Age is a potential concern. His average tackle in 2024 was 1.6 yards downfield. In 2025, it was 2.7. But in a limited role, perhaps he could be an impact player.

TE Will Dissly, Chargers

If the Packers were to sign a blocking tight end like Will Dissly, it wouldn’t be as a full-time starter but as a role player. Last season following Tucker Kraft’s torn ACL, Luke Musgrave was the “starter,” but John FitzPatrick started four games because of his blocking.

Chargers tight end Will Dissly makes a catch for a touchdown against Lions during the first half of the Hall of Fame Game. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With FitzPatrick coming off a torn Achilles and unsigned, the Packers don’t have a blocking tight end on the roster. It would be a useful role to take some of the stress off Kraft.

Dissly caught 50 passes for 481 yards and two touchdowns for the Chargers in 2024 but only 11 passes for 97 yards in nine games in 2025. He’ll turn 30 in July.

CB Marshon Lattimore, Commanders

The Packers released Nate Hobbs and signed Benjamin St-Juste in free agency. Love him or hate him, Keisean Nixon almost certainly is going to be a Week 1 starter, and St-Juste and Valentine will battle for the other spot.

But what if neither grab the bull by the horns? Marshon Lattimore, who was released by the Commanders earlier in the offseason, and L’Jarius Sneed, who was released by the Titans a few days ago, could be one of those late-August additions if the Packers are looking for help and one of them is looking for a job.

Injuries have been a huge issue for both and will factor in their next contract. Lattimore, who will turn 30 in May, played in seven games in 2022, 10 games in 2023, nine games in 2024 and nine games in 2025. He was pretty solid when he played, though, with Sports Info Solutions charging him with a 45.8 percent catch rate in 2024 and 54.5 percent in 2025, with only two touchdowns allowed and one interception in those seasons.

Sneed, who turned 29 in January, was incredible with the Chiefs in 2023, allowing a 38.6 percent catch rate. With the Titans, he was charged with 45.5 percent in five games in 2024 and 59.1 percent in 2025. He gave up four touchdowns with zero interceptions in Tennessee.

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